In the UK,
Imogen has been very popular in the last five to ten years. In my mind,
Imogen is an evolution from the hyper-popular
Emma,
Emily,
Amelia, etc, and fits in with the general feel of those names- I do think there's a difference, but not so much that it's outside of the trends. I also live in Canada, but have lived almost equal parts of my life in the UK- which may skew my perspective. I have noticed, though, in the last decade or so that the naming trends in the UK and Canada are moving closer together (less of a lag or difference in tastes).
Scarlett and
Imogen are both in the 30s on the UK list (both moved up about 10 places from 2006), and so if I met sisters named
Scarlett and
Imogen I'd think brit-chic here, and mainstream (but pretty!) there.
Scarlett and
Elspeth, however, I would probably just be struck by the lovely names.
Until a generation or so ago,
Jean and
Elspeth would have been typically Scottish sisters, so I especially like that- it's a subtle connection. I understand the similarity to
Ella,
Eleanor, etc, but I think it's more akin to
Elsa and
Elsie, which while they're rising, are not yet on everyone's radar.
Elizabeth's common, but it's a timeless name, and helps to familiarise the otherwise very unusual
Elspeth.
Elspeth, I think, has a whiff of the highlands left about it without feeling forced in an anglo context- it's a "still waters run deep" sort of name.
Imogen and
Rosaline are both more overt in their beauty- more brightly coloured- gorgeous English gardens in full bloom.
In the end though, it's best to pick the name you love, and not bow to the family pressure!
Imogen,
Elspeth and
Rosaline are all very lovely names- you can't really go wrong.
Sorry for the essay! And best of luck.
This message was edited 1/25/2008, 7:21 AM